Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

” So Ethan went to work as a product manager at Google Video. He had an idea for a startup that would help consumers better book service jobs and would take on Service Magic, which he believed had a business model that could be disrupted. I told Ethan on the spot that I wanted to be the lead investor in his new company.

Southern California 359

Southern California San Francisco CTO Hire SEM 359

OnlyOnce

JULY 26, 2018

Your win might not be sustainable, and you’ve put your reputation at risk. Or you negotiate the highest possible valuation from a new lead investor, only to discover that new lead investor, now on your Board, expects you to triple it in four years and is way out of alignment with the rest of your cap table.

Cap Table 61

Cap Table Lead Investor Valuation Reputation 61

OnlyOnce

JULY 26, 2018

Your win might not be sustainable, and you’ve put your reputation at risk. Or you negotiate the highest possible valuation from a new lead investor, only to discover that new lead investor, now on your Board, expects you to triple it in four years and is way out of alignment with the rest of your cap table.

Cap Table 48

Cap Table Lead Investor Valuation Reputation 48

Reid Hoffman

JANUARY 26, 2021

In many cases, the CEO is the only member of management who serves on the board. As an entrepreneur, the basic question you must ask yourself is whether the prospective board member can help you achieve the upside – and also manage the downside. You can listen to the podcast here, or search for Greymatter Podcast in your podcatcher.

Startup 36

Startup Equity Early Stage Green 36

reidhoffman.org

NOVEMBER 12, 2013

But with so many investors still licking their wounds from the dot-com bust, many focused on proven business models, such as advertising or e-commerce. As a result, we knew that our pitch would need to steer into investors’ biggest concern: the lack of revenue. The general rule is one business model drives the business.

Entrepreneur 111

Entrepreneur Revenue Viral Networking 111

Professor VC

OCTOBER 20, 2009

Im also a strong believer that your track record and reputation are your most valuable assets in the venture community. In how many of those were you a lead investor? What percentage of your members are not active angel investors (i.e. I am an active angel investor and on the board of Sand Hill Angels.

Angel Investor 35

Angel Investor Due Diligence San Jose Silicon Valley 35